Surface-Water and Ground-Water Quality in the Yucaipa Area, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California, 1996–98
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Surface-Water and Ground-Water Quality in the Yucaipa Area, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California, 1996–98 By GREGORY O. MENDEZ, WESLEY R. DANSKIN, and CARMEN A. BURTON U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4269 Prepared in cooperation with the SAN BERNARDINO VALLEY MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT 5020-74 Sacramento, California 2001 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GALE A. NORTON, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Charles G. Groat, Director The use of firm, trade, and brand names in this report is for identification purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. For additional information write to: Copies of this report can be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Information Services Placer Hall, Suite 2012 Box 25286 6000 J Street Federal Center Sacramento, CA 95819-6129 Denver, CO 80225 CONTENTS Abstract.................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Scope....................................................................................................................................................... 2 Methods of Investigation ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Previous Investigations ................................................................................................................................................ 7 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 Description of Study Area ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 Physiography ............................................................................................................................................................... 8 Population and Climate ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Geology ....................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Hydrology.................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Land Use...................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Water Use..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Water Quality......................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Surface Water............................................................................................................................................................... 16 Ground Water............................................................................................................................................................... 22 Flowmeter Data ................................................................................................................................................. 26 Depth-Dependent Samples ................................................................................................................................ 28 Isotopic Composition of Water .............................................................................................................................................. 29 Oxygen-18 and Deuterium .......................................................................................................................................... 29 Tritium ......................................................................................................................................................................... 31 Limitations and Future Needs................................................................................................................................................ 31 Summary and Conclusions .................................................................................................................................................... 34 Selected References............................................................................................................................................................... 34 FIGURES 1–3. Maps showing: 1. Location of the Yucaipa area in the Santa Ana River drainage basin, southern California............................... 2 2. Physiography of the Yucaipa area, southern California .................................................................................... 3 3. Selected wells and surface-water-quality sites in the Yucaipa area, southern California.................................. 4 4. Graph showing tritium activity in precipitation at Los Angeles, California, 1953–96 ............................................ 6 5–8. Maps showing: 5. Surficial geology of the Yucaipa area, southern California............................................................................... 10 6. Ground-water levels at selected wells in the Yucaipa area, southern California, spring 1997.......................... 12 7. Land use in the Yucaipa area, southern California, 1990.................................................................................. 14 8. Water chemistry in samples from selected wells and surface-water sites in the Yucaipa area, southern California ..................................................................................................................... 18 9. Trilinear diagrams showing major-ion composition of surface water and ground water in the Yucaipa area, southern California................................................................................................................................................... 20 10. Map and graphs showing precipitation stations and cumulative precipitation for three February 1998 storms in the Santa Ana River drainage basin, southern California..................................................................................... 21 11. Boxplots showing concentration of selected constituents for selected wells and surface-water sites in the Yucaipa area, southern California ............................................................................................................................ 23 12. Map showing concentration of dissolved solids, nitrites plus nitrates, and dissolved oxygen for selected wells and surface-water sites in the Yucaipa area, southern California.................................................................... 24 13. Diagram showing driller’s log, electric logs, vertical flow rate, well construction, and water-quality sampling for well 1S/2W-25R4 in the Yucaipa area, southern California ............................................................................... 27 Contents III 14. Graph showing isotopic concentrations of delta deuterium compared to delta oxygen-18 by site and by storm for selected wells and surface-water sites in the Yucaipa area, southern California................................................ 30 15. Map showing delta deuterium, delta oxygen-18, and tritium activity in selected wells and surface-water sites in the Yucaipa area, southern California .......................................................................................................... 32 TABLES 1. Location and characteristics of selected surface-water sites and wells in the Yucaipa area, southern California .. 13 2. Chemical and isotopic analyses of water from selected surface-water sites in the Yucaipa area, southern California ................................................................................................................................................................ 36 3. Chemical and isotopic analyses of water from selected wells in the Yucaipa area, southern California................ 39 CONVERSION FACTORS, VERTICAL DATUM, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS, AND WELL-NUMBERING SYSTEM Conversion Factors Multiply By To obtain cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second foot (ft) .3048 meter foot per year (ft/yr) .3048 meter per year gallon per day per square foot [(gal/d)/ft2] .3516 liter per day per square meter gallon per minute (gal/min) .003785 cubic meter per minute inch (in) 25.4 millimeter inch per year (in/yr) 2.54 centimeter per year mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer Temperature is given in degrees Celsius (AC), which can be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (AF) by the following equation: AF = 9/5(AC) + 32. Vertical Datum Sea level: In this report, “sea level” refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929)—a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called